HBO records growth in ad sales, hikes rates by 25 per cent

HBO has recorded an increase of 25 per cent in its ad sales over the last two years and has added quite a few big names to its list of advertisers

HBO, the & #BANNER1 & # popular English movie channel, claims to have recorded a growth of 25 per cent in its ad sales revenue. It hopes to cash in on this rise in revenue by increasing its ad sales rate by 25 per cent. The hike will be effective from August 1, 2006.

HBO's ad sales partner, Turner India, the channel claims, has outperformed the revenue targets set for the channel over the last two years. HBO and Turner India have been creating a distinct visibility and branding for the channel among advertisers to add new names to its clientele.

Turner has helped HBO get advertisers from the finance, tourism and lifestyle sectors. Some of the advertisers that HBO boasts of today are ICICI, SBI, HSBC, the Departments of Tourism in India, Sri Lanka and Malaysia, Havells and Greenply.

The channel believes that its exclusive line-up of movies has helped it build loyalty among its viewers and also catch the advertisers' attention to showcase their brands to that particular audience.

Shruti Bajpai, country manager, HBO, South Asia, attributes the growth in ad sales revenue to the channel's programming and the client solutions developed by Turner. She says, "HBO has always featured the best of Hollywood, including premieres and theme movies, for its Indian audience. This, coupled with innovative and effective client solutions, has yielded us positive results."

In the future, Bajpai says, the channel will continue to get advertisers from a cross-section of sectors, which will be in line with the channel's and its viewers' profiles. In order to do so, the channel has some popular movies lined up in the coming months such as 'Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King', 'Mona Lisa Smile', 'Mission Impossible' and 'Two Weeks Notice'.

Some of the segments aired on HBO during prime time are 'HBO Blockbuster of the Month', 'HBO Saturday Nights' and 'HBO Sunday Super Hits'.